News: Plans for restoring railways in Rotherham chugging along

Two local projects are still moving forward as part of a Government initiative aimed at bringing underutilised rail routes back to life.

Rothbiz reported in 2020 that a new station at the Waverley development was successful in the second round of the Restoring Your Railway "Ideas Fund" that will progress plans to deliver new routes and improved connectivity, as well as developing plans for new stations to areas poorly served by public transport.

The bid centres on a new Waverley Station on the Sheffield-Worksop-Lincoln Line (which skirts the Southern edge of the Waverley site and also serves Kiveton) and is linked to another bid, which is further developed, for the restoration of passenger services on the Barrow Hill line between Sheffield and Chesterfield, which was successful in this first round of the Ideas Fund.

Whilst Waverley is still at the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) stage, the proposal to re-open the Barrow Hill railway line to passenger traffic is through to the next stage and is being supported to develop further. It will share a slice of £15m with eight other schemes also in development.

Rail Minister Wendy Morton said: "This fund is a great example of how we are committed to helping communities across the country level up and reconnect people and businesses to new opportunities."

The Barrow Hill scheme is described as a "deliverable opportunity to level-up ‘left-behind’ communities currently disconnected from the urban centres of Sheffield and Chesterfield."

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Using part of the "Old Road" services would run between Sheffield Midland or Sheffield Victoria, via the existing Nunnery Square junction, along the existing Sheffield-Worksop-Lincoln line as far as Beighton before transferring to the Barrow Hill line as far as Tapton Junction where they would join the Midland Mainline for a short stretch into Chesterfield.

Two trains per hour, local (stopping) passenger services are proposed, with minimal infrastructure interventions.

The plans, which could cost between £33m and £113m, include a phased re-opening of stations at Eckington / Renishaw, Killamarsh, Staveley / Barrow Hill and Whittington.

As Waverely is on the same line as the Barrow Hill scheme, proponents are discussing the potential to align the business cases, procurement and construction to create efficencies. Adding in Waverley is likely to increase the overall demand for the Barrow Hill service and help with the business case.

Using Tram-Trains, like those that run between Sheffield and Rotherham, has already been discounted as it is anticipated to have a "significant and disproportionate implementation cost due to the electrification requirement and the inability to utilise the standard platforms at existing stations."

A bid to restore passenger services on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway was not successful in any previous rounds.

With regards to a new station for Rotherham on the mainline, which, despite being allocated funding, took a knock back when the Government scaled back ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), the region is waiting on a study of route options to take HS2 to Leeds led by Network Rail.

Andrew Moss, Interim Head of Transport Infrastructure at Rotherham Council recently told councillors that updates on remaining rail projects such as the Sheffield-Leeds Corridor improvements was now expected in September 2022.

Images: SYMCA

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News: Sarclad bribery trial ends with acquittals

Former staff members have been acquitted of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to bribe after their company earlier agreed to pay some £6.5m in reparations.

Rothbiz reported in 2016 that criminal charges were brought against former employees of Sarclad, a Rotherham-based specialist in technology based products for the metal industry, following investigations by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

The firm is a world leader in providing technology-based products to assist metal producers reduce manufacturing costs and improve product quality. It relocated from Chesterfield to the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, opening new facilities in July 2012.

A Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) was reached between the SFO and Sarclad Ltd in July 2016. Sarclad accepted the charges of corruption and failure to prevent bribery in relation to the systematic use of bribes to secure contracts for the company between June 2004 and June 2012. The contracts that were the subject of the DPA had a total value of over £17m.

As a result of the DPA, Sarclad agreed to pay financial orders of £6,553,085, comprised of a £6,201,085 disgorgement of gross profits and a £352,000 financial penalty. £1,953,085 was paid by Sarclad's US registered parent company as repayment of a significant proportion of the dividends that it received from the company over the indictment period.

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The DPA also required Sarclad to fully cooperate with the SFO and to provide a report addressing all third party intermediary transactions, and the completion and effectiveness of its existing anti-bribery and corruption controls, every twelve months for the duration of the DPA. The terms of the DPA have now been met and the DPA is now concluded.

A self-report was made following an investigation by the company of an issue which had come to light at the end of August 2012 as a result of the company's implementation of a compliance programme. The subsequent report by Sarclad's law firm was delivered to the SFO in January 2013, after which the SFO conducted its own investigation.

74 contracts were investigated (28 considered "implicated" and 46 considered "suspicious"), covering countries such as China, Korea, India and Taiwan. Evidence was found of payments to agents that were agreed outside the "percentage of contract value" basis expressed in the agency agreements.

Legal documents released this week show various requests from agents for money in order to secure contracts. In one example, a Korean-based agent asked Sarclad staff: "Will please Sarclad pay for the following costs which is essential for successful contract?

"Under-the-table cost (typical and important Korea) 9,000 euro

"Travel costs to take client to China as well as to England 14,000 euro

"Total 23,000 euro

"These expenses will be spent by Korean agent for clients to secure the contract."

Michael Sorby, Adrian Leek and David Justice were acquitted of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to bribe.

Sarclad website

Images: Sarclad

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News: Legal action delays mayoral election

The proposed election of a mayor for the Sheffield city region has been delayed by a legal battle with the Combined Authority (CA) now working towards elections in 2018.

Following the judgement at the end of last year in the case brought by Derbyshire County Council, local authority leaders have stated that it is not possible to hold a Mayoral election in May 2017.

As a proposed devolution deal progresses, a Mayoral Combined Authority is set to be created, building on the 2013 agreement (pictured) which saw the nine local authorities that comprise the city region create a new legal body with responsibility for transport, economic development and regeneration.

In August, Derbyshire County Council mounted a legal challenge against the consultation regarding the creation of the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority (CA).

The High Court heard the argument that the consultation "was so fair it was unlawful" as it did not include a specific question regarding Chesterfield, currently a non-constituent member, who, like Bassetlaw, signalled their intention to join the Combined Authority.

The judge concluded that there should have been a question asking whether Chesterfield Council should be part of the SCR CA. Consultation will have to take place again.

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The draft order that would enable a new mayor to be elected was put before Parliament in July and the Secretary of State hoped it would go before Parliament again in mid-December with final steps concluding by the end of January 2017.

A spokesperson for the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority said: "Local leaders of the Combined Authority have now had an opportunity to consider the high court judgement and its implications on the Sheffield City Region's Devolution Deal and the Mayoral geography. On the advice of the Combined Authority's managing director and legal officer it is now not possible to hold a Mayoral election in May 2017.

"The Combined Authority is now working towards a Mayoral Election in May 2018. To this end, the Combined Authority is drawing up fresh plans to consult on its proposals, with a view to satisfying the requirements of the High Court judgement."

The £900m devolution deal includes a new gain share deal within an envelope of £30m a year for 30 years – giving the SCR the power to use new funding to boost local growth and invest in local manufacturing and innovation. In return, the Government will require a directly elected mayor to hold accountability for the new powers.

At the same time, Sheffield City Region has received an outline proposal from West Yorkshire for a whole Yorkshire devolution option.

In a joint statement, Leader of Barnsley Council, Cllr. Sir Stephen Houghton, and Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, said: "We remain committed to working economically across the Sheffield City Region and achieving our ambitious plans for job creation and economic growth. However, we have always said that we wish to secure the best possible devolution deal for Barnsley and Doncaster. We will therefore work with colleagues to explore this new Yorkshire-wide option, to ensure we give all potential devolution solutions proper consideration, so that residents can be fully informed when being asked to participate in consultation over the summer months, and that devolution delivers the best possible outcomes for local residents and businesses."

Images: SCR LEP

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News: Judgement in devolution legal challenge

The election of a city region mayor for Sheffield city region (SCR) in May 2017 looks unlikely as the whole process could be delayed by months following a judgement in the High Court over the lawfulness of the consultation.

In August, Derbyshire County Council mounted a legal challenge against the consultation regarding the creation of the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority (CA).

The High Court heard the argument that the consultation "was so fair it was unlawful" as it did not include a specific question regarding Chesterfield, currently a non-constituent member, who, like Bassetlaw, signalled their intention to join the Combined Authority.

As a proposed devolution deal progresses, a Mayoral Combined Authority is set to be created, building on the 2013 agreement which saw the nine local authorities that comprise the city region create a new legal body with responsibility for transport, economic development and regeneration.

The deal includes a new gain share deal within an envelope of £30m a year for 30 years – giving the SCR the power to use new funding to boost local growth and invest in local manufacturing and innovation.

In return, the Government will require a directly elected mayor to hold accountability for the new powers. Elections were set to take place as soon as May 2017 and the mayor will chair the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, the members of which (the leaders of the constituent councils) will serve as the mayor's Cabinet.

Derbyshire County Council believe that if Chesterfield became a full member of the CA it would "spend the next 30 years living in South Yorkshire's shadow."

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Lawyers for the county council said that: the consultation made no reference to other potential options for devolution for the region; made no reference that Chesterfield and Bassetlaw would become constituent councils in the new Combined Authority, and could be required to relinquish further powers to it or to its Mayor; that Derbyshire county council did not have significant input into the discussions; and that the consultants carrying out research were not independent.

Mr Justice Housley stated: "I have concluded that there should have been a question asking whether Chesterfield BC should be part of the SCR CA. Without it the consultation did not achieve its statutory purpose under s113. That conclusion is based on the arguments before me.

"I am not minded at present to quash the consultation since the Secretary of State might decide that he can sustain the lawfulness of the consultation by different reasoning based on all the material he considers. He might decide that only a part of the consultation need to be done again; it is not the whole of the consultation which is unlawful. I will hear counsel however on the appropriate terms of order, including whether there should in fact be a quashing order or declaration on that point.

"I have not accepted the other grounds of challenge."

Cllr. Anne Western, leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: "The people of Chesterfield knew this consultation was unfair and misleading and this High Court judgment confirms that.

"When the county council asked the question Sheffield City Region failed to ask - whether Chesterfield should join Sheffield - more than 7,500 people responded to our online poll (opens in a new window) or filled in postcards in libraries and more than 92% opposed the plans.

"Taking action in the High Court was the last thing we wanted to do but unfortunately we were left with no other option to help us defend the right of local people to have their say on something so important.

"This is a victory for fairness and common sense and for the thousands of local people who - despite not being able to answer the question they wanted to in the official consultation - spoke up and made their views known loudly and clearly."

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A spokesperson for Sheffield City Region Combined Authority said: "This judgement confirms that our extensive and wide-ranging consultation will not be quashed. The judgement raised the need to carry out further consultation to address the proposed governance changes in Chesterfield. We will now take some time to consider the judgement and our next steps. We will make further public statements once we have had the opportunity to do this."

The draft order that would enable a new mayor to be elected next year was put before Parliament in July but it hasn't got much further. The Secretary of State hoped it would go before Parliament again in mid-December with final steps concluding by the end of January 2017.

If further consultation is required, the process would be delayed by two months.

Images: SCR LEP

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News: Rotherham fraudsters found guilty

Two men from Rotherham have been convicted of fraud after a 15 week trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Ian David Shakespeare from Wales and Charles Ernest Frisby from Rawmarsh were both found guilty of fraudulent trading while they were directors of a group of investment companies based in Derbyshire.

Detectives from the East Midlands Regional Fraud Unit, which is part of Derbyshire Constabulary's Economic Crime Unit, began their investigation in the summer of 2009. It followed a complaint from a shareholder of Zoemack Ltd that their investment funds had been misused by the directors of the company.

Zoemack Ltd was originally based in Chapeltown but later moved to Barlborough. The company entered administration in 2008 and at that time owed more than £7m to 90 private investors and more than £7m to four high street banks.

Detective Sergeant Andy Small, from the investigation team, said: "Investors and lenders involved with the company were duped into thinking that their money was being used for the sole purpose of purchasing and developing distressed properties. In reality large amounts of their money was used to fund the lavish lifestyles of the two defendants, their families and their friends.

"Many of the private investors were planning for their financial security as they entered their hard-earned retirement, but they were conned into re-mortgaging their family homes and cashing in their pension to invest in the scheme."

Charles Frisby was found guilty of two counts of fraudulent trading for the time he was a director of Zoemack Ltd and Crestamax Ltd. Ian Shakespeare was found guilty of four counts of fraudulent trading for the time he was a director of Zoemack Ltd, Halewood Properties Ltd and Investrite Ltd.

During the course of the investigation detectives took statements from more than 200 witnesses and gathered more than 500,000 pages of documentary evidence. Their findings were presented to the court in a trial that started on January 12, 2015. The jury deliberated for nine days before they reached their verdicts. Frisby and Shakespeare will be sentenced next week.

Detective Sergeant Andy Small added: "The result of this case doesn't bring back the financial security nor the futures that the victims had worked long and hard for, but I hope it gives them some sense of satisfaction that justice has been done. These two defendants will now have the futures they deserve.

"We will continue to work hard to recover any assets Frisby and Shakespeare have gathered, in the hope that we can secure some form of compensation for the victims."

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News: Underwood Meat Company complete acquisition

The Underwood Group, the Rotherham-based supplier of high quality fresh meat products to the catering industry, has further diversified its core business with the recent acquisition and investment in a dedicated factory unit producing high quality chilled and frozen sausage and burgers for the catering, food service, retail and wholesale markets.

Underwood Meat Company operates from two sites – in Rotherham, and Godalming in Surrey – and employs 150 people. From these premises, the company provides a wide variety of raw meat products to a range of blue-chip groups and independent catering customers throughout the UK.

The agreement with Country Park Foods has seen the Rawmarsh Road firm acquire the latter's Bramley Foods subsidiary in a deal that includes an 11,000 sq ft factory at Holmewood, Chesterfield.

A spokesperson for Underwood's said that the facility: "will provide a modern processing environment along with state of the art manufacturing equipment to enable the business to continue to support the growth in demand for quality sausages and burgers that we have experienced over the last two years, and importantly allow us to further develop these quality product ranges and extend our sales penetration into new markets."

The growing firm has also taken on Richard Mather as commercial manager who has overall responsibility for the Holmewood site.

Corporate and real estate lawyers at the Sheffield office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell advised Underwood Meat Company on the deal. Thomas Hall, a partner in Irwin Mitchell's Real Estate team, advised Underwood on the transfer of the Bramley Foods factory, while Matt Ainsworth, a partner in the law firm's Corporate team, advised on the acquisition aspects of the deal.

Thomas Hall, partner at Irwin Mitchell said: "This deal is major boost to Underwood Meat Company as it looks to expand and develop its operations in South Yorkshire.

"The acquisition of the company and property is a good news story for the region and highlights that even though times remain tough for many businesses, firms in good health are able to take advantage of growth opportunities. We're delighted to have been part of it."

Handlesbanken in Rotherham, led by Michael Harrison, supported Underwood Meat on the deal.

Underwood Meat Company website

Images: Underwood Meat Company

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News: Rotherham firm plays integral part in stadium development

Integral Network Solutions Ltd of Rotherham played a key role in ensuring that the new stadium for Chesterfield Football Club has the IT infrastructure fit for a 21st century stadium development.

The £13m b2net stadium opened for the start of the 2010/2011 season and as the site was completely new, being built from scratch, a completely new structured cabling installation was required.

The club needed a reliable solution in order to support the converged network they were implementing including IPTV live streaming, IP telephony and also to operate and manage all their electronic facilities, such as computers, CCTV, tills, wireless systems, ticketing and turnstiles.

Addooco IT, who were already providing all the new IT systems and support for the football club, mapped out the initial design of the cabling infrastructure and chose Integral Network Solutions to undertake the actual implementation.

Integral Network Solutions Ltd specialises in designing and installing a wide range of networking infrastructure services for all types of businesses and premises. Based in Brampton, the company works UK-wide with clients in both the private and public sector and offers expertise for a large range of services to end users and contractors.

Integral recommended the Excel cabling solution as it met their criteria for bandwidth and longevity and persuaded the electrical contractor to agree to change pathways and spacers to allow these larger cables to be installed throughout the four stands of the stadium.

Paul Taylor, managing director of Integral, said: "The final result has given Chesterfield FC a true competitive advantage over other football clubs, with hi-tech equipment and up to 10 Gig network speeds. Also, with the fact that the cable we've installed has a 25 year warranty, it means that it won't need changing for many years to come, offering a clear return on investment."

Integral Network Solutions website
Chesterfield FC website

Images: chesterfield-fc.co.uk

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